Ellur

Ella Megan McNamara^[1] was born on 21 November 2000^[2] and grew up in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Her stage name is a pronunciation spelling of her given name based on the Yorkshire accent.^[3][4] Her father is Richard McNamara, one of the co-founders of the rock band Embrace along with his brother Danny.^[5] Her mother worked as an art teacher, and McNamara has described wanting to become both a musician and a teacher while growing up.^[4] Her parents are divorced,^[5] something which has influenced her music, in particular her 2025 single "The World Is Not An Oyster".^[6]

Before embarking on a full-time career in music McNamara worked various jobs, including as a barista and a gardener,^[5] while playing covers sets in pubs on weekends.^[7] Her first single, "Reflection", was uploaded to streaming services in January 2020.^[8] In August of the following year she released her debut EP, Moments, through Leeds-based independent record label Dance to the Radio.^[9]

Ellur has undertaken two UK tours as a headline act; a three-date tour in 2024,^[10] and a sold-out six-date tour the following year.^[6] She has also appeared as a support act for established bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, Blossoms and Supergrass.^[8] In August 2024, she and her band played a set on the BBC Music Introducing stage at Leeds Festival.^[11] She has since gone on to play other large festivals including Latitude and South by Southwest,^[8] the latter of which was her first performance in the United States.^[12]

Her first studio album, At Home In My Mind, was released on 6 February 2026,^[3] and reached number 41 on the UK Albums Chart.^[13]

Ellur's musical style has been described as indie,^[6] pop,^[8] and indie pop.^[14] Her music has been likened to that of her contemporaries such as Holly Humberstone and Nieve Ella by NME,^[5] while Dork made comparisons to Sharon Van Etten and Wolf Alice.^[15] She has named a wide range of artists and bands amongst her influences, including Adele,^[7] Coldplay, Radiohead, Embrace,^[6] Adrianne Lenker, CMAT, The War on Drugs, Sam Fender, The 1975 and Dora Jar;^[16] this diverse array of inspirations led to The Line of Best Fit describing her music as "collagic".^[4] She has also credited the "space and serenity"^[3] of her Yorkshire home and her co-songwriters such as Joel Johnston and Benjamin Francis Leftwich with helping to develop her style.^[4][6]